Gunman declines invitation to shoot

STOCKTON - A 20-year-old man stood defiantly against two men who tried to rob him Friday in central Stockton, police said.

The man told authorities he was near El Dorado and Vine streets about 6:30 p.m. when two other men approached him. One of the men was armed with a handgun. They demanded his cellphone and threatened to shoot him.

The man told the gunman to "go ahead and shoot me," at which point the robbers turned and walked away, police said. Both were described as Latino males about 20 years old standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds with black hooded sweatshirts and black jeans, police said. One was wearing a white handkerchief over his face.